CURRENT NEWS & Market Report

November 26, 2018

News

Featured Article

Stop whining about sales problems

Got a sales problem? Then fix it, fire it or ignore it. At least stop whining.

These are the words I use as my mantra for sales managers and executives. It seems that the consistent theme I hear from managers is that their salespeople are “not motivated, don’t get it, or simply aren’t trying.” They complain that salespeople react senselessly to irrational customer demands or make their own mistakes that cost the company money.

In short, managers feel victimized by poor sales performance. If you feel this way, then opt for one of the three, and only three, options at your disposal. Fix the performer if you can. If you can’t, then you must decide to fire the performer, or ignore the problem.

Ignore the problem when…

You have a highly profitable producer. This is a case when you should ignore a problem. It sounds strange, but it might be worth investing your management energies elsewhere. The top producers in your company deserve support and should be treated as special cases so long as you believe there exists a causal relationship between performance and results.